Thugsy's Revenge
by leader of lights
Summary: Bugsy... er, 'Thugsy' drags Morty off for a day outside of challengers and training. Someone's on Thugsy's bad side, and that someone's going down.


It was a cheerful and sunny Saturday afternoon when Morty was pulled away from the comforting darkness of Ecruteak Gym. A fellow gym leader, Bugsy of Azalea Town, visited him and mentioned a challenging task, one he needed plenty of help with. Morty didn't budge at first; there was always the chance that a challenger would drop by.

"Ghost," taunted Bugsy. "You're paler than a ghost because you're in here all the time. Come out and have some fun with me!" Frowning, he tugged insistently at the sleeve of Morty's black sweater. "Ghost. Ghost. Ghoooost!"

This bothering went on for three minutes, until Morty gave in and followed the triumphant boy outside.

The two ended up high in a tree on Route 38, just outside Ecruteak. Perched safely on two strong tree branches, Morty heaved a sigh of relief. He really wasn't used to the daylight anymore. Most of his time was spent inside the gym or Burned Tower, training his roster of ghost Pokémon. Sunscreen hadn't been on his grocery list, so he could feel the sun roasting his skin like the heat from a nearby Fire Blast. His long, thick clothing was ill-suited for the weather as well, and before they climbed up here, he was constantly pulling at his purple scarf for air. The healthy green leaves provided just enough cover for him to cool down.

"Why are we here, Bugsy?" he asked his companion. The boy was standing confidently on a slimmer branch. He was as comfortable in this tree as any of the bug Pokémon he trained would be.

Bugsy shot him a disapproving look. "It's not 'Bugsy' anymore, remember? Call me 'Thugsy'!" he announced, pointing at Morty violently enough to make his tie follow the movement. It was the same subdued yellow as Morty's messy hair, but spotted with large holes ('bullet holes', he bragged). His dusty blazer and slacks combo were hole-free and obviously still purchased from the boy's section of Goldenrod Department Store. The popped collar of his white button-down and sharp glare in his lavender eyes insisted that he was much older and hardcore than a ten-year-old, but his stature, baby face, and childish haircut said otherwise.

The self-proclaimed 'Bad Boy of the Bugcatchers', Thugsy had more than String Shot and U-Turn at his disposal. Intimidation and a water pistol were never out of reach. He knew how to handle Azalea Gym's challengers and, according to him, the cashiers at the department store. The suit he wore had been given to him as a gift, he claimed, when he hinted to the girl what his Kakuna could do to her family. Those 'bullet holes' were her family's response to his threats.

"Right. Thugsy." Disinterested, Morty still pressed him on the more important matter of why they were up in a tree. "What are we supposed to be doing?" 'Thugsy' had to be just a phase the boy would get over eventually. He could humor him until then.

"Last week, I got a challenger that beat me so badly, Scyther didn't even get a chance to hit his stupid foreign Pokémon!" It had been an intense battle against fire Pokémon from… Hoenn, the trainer said. At least, it would have been intense if it lasted more than thirty seconds. Thugsy called the white-haired boy a cheater but was forced to give up the Hive Badge anyway. A grudge had formed and was munching away at him.

Morty leaned back against the sturdy trunk of the tree. "And?"

"Aaand I heard he was coming this way today!" Thugsy announced, watching the path below them like an angry Fearow. "Look, there he is!" Just as a young boy decked out in green came into view through the branches, he started grabbing handfuls of apricorns from his pockets, passing some on to the startled Morty. "Aim carefully," was the one instruction he gave.

Before Morty could ask any questions, their answers were given to him. A flurry of apricorns in all colors went in the white-haired trainer's direction. Thugsy shot them off relentlessly, one by one, but none hit their target. They weren't even close enough to make the oblivious trainer notice the attack.

Morty, on the other hand, wasn't even moving. That trainer hadn't challenged Ecruteak Gym yet, so this gym leader had no bitter feelings. He just watched, more than a little amused. "I think you've been relying too much on your Pokémon, Thugsy," he commented with a smirk. "Your accuracy is terrible."

Three things happened at once: the trainer strolled on by them unharmed, Thugsy's apricorn stash ran out, and the tips of his ears-just peeking out from behind tufts of lavender hair-went red. "Sh-Shut up, Ghost," he responded ineffectively. He scrambled across the tree branches and leapt onto its equally leafy neighbor tree. All the trees along the route were growing so closely together that they made a path, at least to a quirky boy like Thugsy. "Come on, it's on to plan B!"

Honestly, Morty was a little interested in what Thugsy still had in store for this kid. Taking a break from training was also unexpectedly relaxing. After this diversion, it would be back to the gym, but until then… might as well enjoy himself. He dropped the apricorns given to him and followed the Bad Boy of the Bugcatchers.

* * *

Being back out in the sun definitely wasn't pleasant. The two had clambered through the trees until reaching Moomoo Farm. They crouched down behind the white picket fence, sure, but it offered no protection from the heat. Even in a field of soft green grass and grazing Miltank, Morty felt he was slowly dying inside. Thugsy wasn't fairing much better. His full suit had him feeling pretty lightheaded, too.

"Here he comes again," whispered Thugsy. The white-haired trainer had been briefly involved in a battle, making it easy to stay ahead of him. By the smile of his face, the battle had gone well.

The trainer began to turn onto the southern stretch of Route 39. Thugsy took a deep breath and spun around to face the nearest Miltank. "Miltank, use Rollout!" he commanded the pink Pokémon. She lifted her head and lazily swept her cream-colored tail from side-to-side, but nothing else.

"Miltank, use Rollout!" Thugsy repeated insistently. Still the Miltank refused.

Morty laughed when the trainer passed on by without a care in the world. "You didn't actually expect that to work, did you?"

Thugsy shook his head and snapped, "No," even with the beginnings of tears glistening in his large eyes. He was just getting frustrated, that's all. He had to show this trainer who's boss!

"Somehow, I don't believe you."

"Let's move on to plan C!" Thugsy said quickly. He tugged at Morty's arm until he stood up. The Ecruteak Gym Leader towered over him, so he shifted his eyes to Morty's feet to better ignore the height difference. "…I want your shoes."

"My shoes?" Morty glanced down at the pain of sneakers he always wore: black, with a single vertical stripe of purple over the laces, and red soles. The word 'thuggish' never described them in his mind.

Thugsy sped off across the field. "Nevermind, let's just go!"

* * *

"We'll get him here for sure!" declared Thugsy, pressed against the cliff just below the fence they'd jumped over. They stood in a dainty patch of white flowers at the start of a series of ridges that led down to Olivine City. He was sure his plan would work this time. It had to, since he had no others. A wire stretched from one side of the top ridge to the other, closing the gap. That stupid cheater was going to trip over it and fall flat on his face.

The shadow of the future didn't seem too bright, but Morty wasn't about to crush the boy's spirits. "Whatever you say."

Only seconds passed before the trainer rounded the cliff. Thugsy held his breath as he watched the white-haired boy take step after step toward his just desserts. Finally, he was only one step away, and….

…A man in a black Pikachu shirt challenged him to a battle. The kid stopped in his tracks.

If they weren't so close, Thugsy would've screamed out of extreme annoyance. Just one more step and he'd have had a face full of dirt! To make matters worse, a burly sailor continued where the trainer had not. The sailor tripped over the wire instead, snapping it in the process.

All three of Thugsy's plans had failed. Suddenly, he couldn't hold the tears back anymore. He stomped on the ground where the first splotches landed, muttering, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Morty couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor kid. He set his hand on his shoulder, offering, "Hey, Thugsy…."

"Don't touch me," Thugsy retorted, shrugging the hand off his shoulder. He leapt onto the ridge at his right and stalked off to Olivine through the tall grass. Morty reluctantly followed.

* * *

Mint chocolate chip ice cream dripped down the waffle cone Thugsy held meekly with both hands. He was licking it slower than the heat melted the edges, but he didn't care. He couldn't stop crying bitterly, so the ice cream tasted salty anyway.

Thugsy and Morty were sitting side-by-side on a pristine white bench along Olivine's dock. A tall blue-and-white umbrella not only separated them from the harshness of the sun, but from each other. They sat in silence, Thugsy eating his pale green ice cream and Morty staring out at the impossibly blue sea. Olivine was so different from Ecruteak; there, the air was crisp and the whole city was closed off by trees. Here in Olivine he was enveloped by the cool sea breeze, and it seemed like he was surrounded by water in each direction as well.

When he'd caught up to Thugsy on the paved path through Olivine, under a set of flags blowing in the wind, Morty had offered him ice cream. He had no better idea for cheering the kid up. Luckily, he agreed, and they found a quaint little shop nearby. The girl behind the counter became the automatic target of Thugsy's intimidation attempts. He listed off the ways his Pokémon buddies could make her life miserable if she didn't hand over a cone of mint chocolate chip. Instead of listening, she focused on his tears, 'awww'd at him, and gave him just what he wanted on the house.

The ice cream wasn't making Thugsy feel any better. Morty decided to try something else. "Don't worry," he told the boy beside him; "If he challenges Ecruteak Gym, he won't know what hit him."

Thugsy didn't make eye contact, but still paused his licking and responded. "…Really?"

"Of course. Gengar will Shadow Ball his Pokémon into oblivion," he explained with a nod.

"It'd better," sniffled Thugsy, trying to hide the relief he knew was showing on his face.

Another idea popped into Morty's head. Time for the final attack: "Or what?"

Thugsy lifted his head and gave Morty his best intimidating glare. His red and puffy eyes made it look just a little ridiculous. "Or Scyther will show your family what Fury Cutter is all about," he said, squeaking voice completely ruining the threat.

Despite himself, Morty laughed. "That's what I thought."

* * *

**Author's Note**: This all started when a friend helped me discover how magical Pokémon fanart can be. We found a great drawing of some Johto gym leaders looking hardcore-the Azalea Gym Leader more than the others. Bugsy had this really intense expression, and had some suspicious-looking holes in his tie. Thus, 'Thugsy' was born.

Just a little story starring Morty, Thug-I mean, Bugsy and the main boy character in the third generation. This's also on my dA account. Bugsy's OOC, sure, but who says that little boy couldn't go through a 'Thugsy' phase?


End file.
